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A man in Canada " overdose " on liquorice by tope too much licorice tea , which caused his line of descent pressure to sailplane to dangerous levels , according to a raw write up of the case .
The 84 - year - old military personnel went to the emergency way ( ER ) after he took hisblood pressureat home and noticed very high reading . He was also experiencing headache , sensibility to light , breast pain and fatigue , along with swelling in his calfskin , grant to the report , published today ( May 27 ) in theCanadian Medical Association Journal .
At the ER , the man ’s systolic blood pressure ( the " top " routine on a stock pressure reading ) was nearly 200 millimetre hydrargyrum . Normal blood imperativeness is 120/80 mm Hg . physician consider any rip pressure measurement above 180 for systolic blood pressing ( or above 120 for diastolic pedigree pressure , the " bottom " number on a reading material ) to be ahypertensive crisisthat requires contiguous medical care . [ 27 Oddest Medical Case written report ]
Doctors at McGill University in Montreal treat the man with several medicinal drug to lower his high-pitched descent pressure , and his symptoms better over the next 24 hr .
Later , the man told doctors that he had been drinking one to two glasses of homemade licorice tea a 24-hour interval for the last two weeks . This eccentric of tea is made from the base of the licorice plant , Glycyrrhiza glabra . It is a popular drink in Egypt , where it is known as " erk sous , " the writer wrote in the study .
Consuming too much liquorice ascendent or candies flavour with licorice antecedent — includingblack Glycyrrhiza glabra — is know to be toxic , harmonize to theU.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA ) .
That ’s because licorice root and black liquorice check a compound call in glycyrrhizin , which can cause the body ’s atomic number 19 story to fall . This , in turn , can run to health essence such ashigh blood pressure , unnatural nub rhythms and swelling , the FDA sound out .
The FDA regulates how much glycyrrhizin is allowed in solid food , but still recommends that people avoid feed large sum of money of liquorice at any one time . ( Of note , many " licorice " or " licorice flavored " product fabricate in the U.S. do not in reality contain any licorice , but instead are flavored with anise seed crude , which has the same olfactory sensation and perceptiveness , according to the FDA . )
In the current case , the man knew about the inter-group communication between licorice and high line pressure , but he did n’t conceive he was waste too much licorice , the report said .
The face highlight an chance for doctors " to train their patient role with high blood pressure about the potential adverse outcome of Glycyrrhiza glabra to foreclose licorice - tie in complications , " the authors conclude .
Originally published onLive Science .
